Apparatus for cooling metal material

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cooling metal material comprising a cooling pipe, each encircling the pass way of to-be-cooled material of long length dimension, and having a slit or holes provided around the inner annular surface of its inner circumference. An annular nozzle extends inwardly from the surface of the inner circumference of the pipes. Each nozzle is formed by nozzle walls and having at its inner end a cooling water jetting slit for jetting cooling water toward cooled material.

United States Patent [1 1 Tsukamura et al.

[451 Jan. 21, 1975 [541 APPARATUS FOR COOLING METAL MATERIAL [75] inventors: Takao Tsukamura; Koji Nakayama,

both of Hikari, Japan [73] Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation, Tokyo,

Japan 221 Filed: July 25,1973

21 App1.No.:382,387

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 27, 1972 Japan 47-75455 July 27, 1972 Japan 47-88582 Aug. 11, 1972 Japan 47-80472 [52] US. Cl 239/536, 239/597, 134/64, 134/122, 266/6 5 [51] Int. Cl B051) l/04 [58] Field of Search 134/64, 122, 91, 198; 266/6 S; 148/143, 152; 239/597, 536; 164/283 S [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,542,237 2/1951 Dewey 134/122 2,616,437 11/1952 Secor 134/122 2,623,531 12/1952 Waddington et a1. 134/122 2,657,698 ll/1953 Garrett 134/122 X 2,940,418 6/1960 Penrod et a1. 239/597 X 3,044,098 7/1962 Stalson 134/64 X 3,507,712 4/1970 Scott 266/6 S Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant ExaminerJohn J. Love Attorney, Agent,'0r Firm-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack I 57 ABSTRACT An apparatus for cooling metal material comprising a cooling pipe, each encircling the pass way of to-becooled material of long length dimension, and having a slit or holes provided around the inner annular surface of itsinner circumference. An annular nozzle extends inwardly from the surface of the inner circumference of the pipes. Each nozzle is formed by nozzle walls and having at its inner end a cooling water jetting slit for jetting cooling water toward cooled material.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJANZHQYS 3861.597

sum 2 [IF 4 FIG. 3

APPARATUS FOR COOLING METAL MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field Of The Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling metal material of long size in such shape as wire rod, bar or extruded articles with cooling water jetted from a nozzle.

2. Description of the Prior Art In order to obtain desired structure and quality of metal material in the shape of a finish rolled wire rod or bar, or a hot extruded steel product, it is necessary to give to such metal material an appropriate cooling in the course of its manufacturing operation.

Taking rolled wire rod for instance, conditions on which it is cooled greatly influence the production of scale, among the most important of which is the cooling speed of rolled wire rod between the finishing stand and the winder. Besides, cooling after the finishing stand influences not only the thickness of scale layer or even its formation but also the composition of the so cooled material, as mentioned above. However, the cooling of such steel product after processed into a final shape is publicly known.

In order to cool such steel material, there have been conventionally used pipes of double tubed structure for introducing water, the inner tube of which has a wall provided with a great number of holes, so that cooling water comes out of these holes to cool the material. However, the problem with this structure of the conventional cooling pipes, is that as the size of holes is not adjustable, steel material of comparatively greater diameter cannot be effectively and sufficiently cooled. Also, cooled material slides on the holes of the pipes set below the material, so as to cover the holes, reducing the water flow therefrom. Thus, the material is cooled with its upper side being cooled disproportionally more than the bottom side, resulting in uneven cooling which may affect the quality of the material and scale production thereon. Another problem is the bending of the cooled material due to irregularity of cooling effect, thus resulting in unequality of structure of steel material.

Besides, as the holes of the cooling pipe are directed toward the center of the pipe, the cooling may become more irregular with cooled material, making the abovementioned problems occur more frequently, particularly, when the material deviates from the correct course in relation to the pipe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION For the solution of such problems as mentioned above with the steel material cooling apparatus of conventional type, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for cooling steel material by uniform and stable focusing and application of a laminar jet of cooling water on the material, thereby completely preventing an irregular cooling effect, and thus improving the cooling effect.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cooling steel material efficiently and speedily within a limited cooling zone by using a plurality of such apparatuses arranged in series along the pass line of the material, each in such manner as to encircle the pass line.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cooling steel material, the use of a great number of such apparatuses arranged in series making it possible to completely drain waste cooling water by utilizing the impact of the jets of cooling water hitting each other, with a draining device set at an appropriate position on the line of cooling apparatuses. A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cooling steel material, which is capable of adjusting the jetting rate of cooling water according to the kind, diameter, etc. of cooled material.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the below-mentioned embodiments of the present invention by reference to the attached drawings.

A summary of fundamental concepts and objects of the present invention are as follows The cooling effect is really improved and progressed by the present invention by means of the following features:

l. to focus the cooling water (cooling medium) on one part of the cooled material;

2. to make the cooling water flow laminar;

3. to completely discharge the waste cooling water by utilizing the impact of the jets of cooling water hitting each other, and to simultaneously supply new cooling water;

4. to utilize the fact that the cooling effect is best when the cooling water as applied is focused perpendicular to the cooled material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of one embodiment of the cooling apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cooling apparatus of FIG. 1 along the line II II.

FIG. 3 is an arrangement of the cooling apparatuses of the present invention shown in FIG. I in combination with a draining device.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of another embodiment of the cooling apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the cooling apparatus of FIG. 4 along the line VI VI.

FIG. 6 is an arrangement of a plurality of the cooling apparatuses of the present invention of FIG. 4 arranged in series.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following is detailed explanation of preferred embodiments of the present invention by reference to drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an annular cooling pipe 1 is provided in such manner as to encircle the pass line of metal material of long size (such as rolled wire rod), such pipe having in the inner annular surface thereof facing the center of the circle formed thereby a slit open wholly round such surface, and also being provided with nozzle walls 3 extending in the direction of the center of the circle formed by the pipe in such manner as to enclose the slit 2, thus forming a tendering section, walls 3 thus constituting an annular nozzle. At the inner end or surface of this annular nozzle 5 is formed a second-staged, wholly round open slit, from which is jetted cooling water at a right angle against the entire circumference of the cooled material.

The reason that the supply of cooling water is made in two stages, that is, from the annular cooling pipe 1 and then from the annular nozzle 5, that is, by means of two stages of slits, so that the variations of dynamic water pressure of cooling water 6 in the cooling pipe will not directly influence the jets of cooling water. Thus, dynamic water pressure in the annular nozzle is made constant, causing no turbulence in the jets of cooling water from the slit 4, and flow of water from slit 4 is laminar.

Cooling water supplying pipes 7 and 8 are connected with the annular cooling pipe at two opposite diametric positions thereof. This is to make the flow of the cooling water 6 as constant as possible.

A member 10 fixed by welding or otherwise on one wall 3, is screwed on a member 9 fixed on the body of the annular cooling pipe 1, so that the interspace of the slit can be adjusted by the forward or backward movement of the one wall by the turning of the member 10.

Thus, it is made possible to adjust the volume of the cooling water jetted from the slit 4 according to the kind, diameter etc. of cooled material, maintaining the cooling condition constantly as desired. Also, by providing the nozzle wall 3 movable forward and backward by the use of the abovementioned screwing mechanism, it is easy to remove from the slit 4 scale which tends to block the same. Also it is possible to replace a used nozzle with a new one.

But the present invention is not limited to an adjustable mechanism; but the fixed type is also usable, in the present invention so far as the appropriate interspace of the slit can be maintained.

A member 18 is fixed by welding or otherwise on the outside of the annular cooling pipe 1 which is constructed as mentioned above, and a connecting member 12 is fixed and held with bolt 13 between the member and the fixed member 11 for connecting the annular cooling pipes one after another in series. Respectively at the rear part and the front part of the cooling pipe 1, there are mounted a tubular outlet guide and a tubular inlet guide. These guides and 16 are provided as a pair, and the ends of respective guides facing each other have therebetween a space in which jetted cooling water contacts the cooled material. The other ends of the guides respectively face the ends of guides of the adjacent cooling apparatus. These guides 15 and 16 may be attached to the cooling apparatus or other places by any suitable method. These guides 15 and 16 function as the guide for rolled wire rod, and are so designed as to prevent the burst of cooling water due to contact of the rolled wire with the slit 4 and the resulting irregularity of cooling effect. For this purpose, the inner diameters of the guides 15 and 16 are made smaller than that of the slit.

The rolled wire rod 14 passes through the inlet guides 16, and is cooled with cooling water from the wholly round open slit 4 and passes through the outlet guide 15 into the adjacent annular cooling apparatus or device. Thus, it is cooled, as it passes through the cooling devices one after another.

Cooling water jetted from the slit 4 contacts the rolled wire rod 14 and is branched in opposite directions into the outlet guide 15 and the inlet guide 16. The so branched jets hit the jets branched from the slits ofthe adjacent devices, thus forming a flow l9 (hereinafter referred to the hitting flow) running nearly perpendicularly to the rod in the form ofa disk, which then is discharged from the spaces between the inlet guides 16 and the outlet guides 15. Thus, the rolled wire rod 14 is cooled incessantly with ever fresh cooling water.

In order to prevent scattering of the hitting flow 19, it is recommended that a scattering prevention cover 17 should be provided above and between the guides.

FIG. 3 illustrates the arrangement of the total system with annular cooling devices and draining devices. A plurality of annular cooling devices 1 are arranged with an appropriate distance between adjacent devices along the direction of movement of rolled wire rod 14. Cooling water is supplied through cooling water supplying pipes 24. One draining device 21 is provided for a group of a given number of annular cooling devices, ahead of each respective group Water is supplied to the device through a water supplying pipe 25. The so constructed total cooling system is housed in a draining housing 26; the water used for cooling rolled wire or rod and for draining, is discharged from an exhaust part 27.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate another embodiment of the cooling apparatus of the present invention. The upparatus shown in these drawings is an variation of the apparatus of the two staged slit system shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

In the cooling apparatus shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 a slit 32 is provided round the inner annular surface of the annular cooling pipe 31 facing the center of the circle formed thereby. A second-staged annular nozzle 35 constructed with nozzle walls 33 is provided wholly round the circumference of slit 32, so that the variation of dynamic water pressure of cooling water 36 in the annular cooling pipe 31 will not directly influence the jet of cooling water. A cooling water jetting slit 34 is provided at the end or inner surface of annular nozzle 35. Thus, the dynamic water pressure of the cooling water is constant at the outlet of second-staged annular nozzle 35.

Cooling water supplying pipes 37 and 38 are connected with the annular cooling pipe 31 at two opposite positions. This is to make the flow of cooling water 36 in the annular cooling pipe 31 run under as uniform a pressure as possible. If a member 40 fixed by welding or otherwise on one nozzle wall 33 and a member 39 fixed on the annular cooling pipe 31 are threadably engaged, such that nozzle wall 33 may be moved forward or backward by turning of the member 40, so that the interspace of the slit 34 may be changeable for the adjustment of the water supply from the slit 34 according to the quality of rolled wire rod or other factors. The slit 34 is so constructed that the adjacent slits are positioned at respective slanting angles of a and a to the axis of the rolled wire rod, and so that adjacent slits face each other. The slanting angles a and a may be less than but they are preferred to be between 10 and less than 90, dependent on the speed and the size of the rolled wire rod.

As mentioned above, a pair of the cooling apparatuses which are so constructed to jet cooling water at slanting angles against the pass line of the rolled wire rod 14, are positioned to have the directions of their slanting angles opposite. as shown in FIG. 4. The method of positioning the cooling apparatus is such that a member 41 is fixed by welding or otherwise to the annular cooling pipe. A connecting member 42 is fixed and held by a bolt between the member 41 and a fixing member 44. In a like manner. another cooling apparatus is positioned on the same member 42 at a certain distance from the already positioned cooling apparatus.

Furthermore, tubular guides 45 and 46, 45a and 46a are placed between adjacent annular cooling pipes 31, so as to guide the progress of rolled wire rod. The rolled wire rod 14 enters through an inlet guide 46 into an annular cooling pipe 31, is cooled with cooling water from circumferential slit 34, and is sent through an outlet guide 45 to another annular cooling pipe 31, thus cooling is made successively.

Cooling water supplied at a certain angle from a pair of the slits 34 facing each other, contacts the rolled wire rod 14, passes through one of the inlet guide 46a and the outlet guide 45, contacts the flow from the adjacent cooling apparatus to change the direction thereof to substantially perpendicular to its original direction to form a hitting flow 48, which is finally discharged from space between the inlet guide 46a and the outlet guide 45. This occurs with each of the flows. Thus, rolled wire rod is cooled with cooling apparatuses by groups, each consisting of two devices, and with ever fresh cooling water.

In order to prevent scattering of the hitting flow, a cover 47 may be provided over the guides.

The flow to the delivery side of the cooled material from the cooling apparatus in the entry side of the cooled material is generally larger and stronger than the flow to entry side of the cooled material from the cooling apparatus in the delivery side of the cooled material, due to the effect of the moving material carrying a portion of the water, such effect being in proportion to the delivery speed of the cooled material, referring to FIG. 4. The hitting flow appears in the position whereat the opposing flow are balanced. The balanced position varies according to the speed of the cooled material, the angle a and a, the volume and pressure of the cooling water from the cooling apparatus, the position of the cooling apparatus, and the desired cooling rate.

When the angle a and a is equal 90", that is perpendicular to the cooled material, as shown in FIG. 1, the hitting flow appears to the left of the center position between opposing cooling devices.

When the angles a and a are properly preset, the hitting flow appears nearly in the center position between opposing cooling devices.

The preset of the angle a and a is made by the combination of a and a to be preset, for example a 45 and a 90.

In the final cooling apparatus of the system, the angle may be preset to small angle in order to achieve a wiping effect.

In general, the angle a of the cooling apparatus in the delivery side of the cooled material is preset to a smaller angle than the angle a of the cooling apparatus in the entry side of the cooled material in order to achieve the proper hitting flow, i.e. a S a.

Considering the discharge of water by the hitting flow from the center position between adjacent pairs of cooling apparatuses, and with a plurality of pairs of cooling devices, the angle a may equal to l80 a.

FIG. 6 illustrates the arrangement of the total system of annular cooling apparatuses, grouped by pairs of cooling devices, arranged in a series in the direction of movement of the rolled wire rod. Cooling water is supplied from cooling water supplying pipes 49.

The thus constructed total system is housed in a draining housing 50; and waste water is discharged from an exhaust port 51. In case the cooling apparatus are arranged as mentioned above, the cooled material recuperates the surface temperature by the inner higher temperature in the space between two of the so arranged cooling devices. Alternation between cooling and recupuration of the surface temperature, makes the effect of cooling uniform.

Moreover, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, there is shown a slit provided wholly round the surface of the inner circumference of each cooling pipe. According to the present invention, however, mere holes or separate slits may be provided over the surface of the inner circumference of the cooling pipe, instead of such single slit as mentioned above, provided that the number of holes or slits is sufficient to insure constant dynamic water pressure and a laminar flow.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for cooling longitudinally moving metal material, said apparatus comprising:

a circular cooling pipe positioned to coaxially surround the path off movement of said material, said cooling pipe being supplied at the interior thereof with a cooling medium;

said cooling pipe having around the inner annular surface thereof opening means to allow passage therefrom of said cooling medium;

an annular nozzle provided n said inner annular surface of said cooling pipe, said annular nozzle being formed of disk-shaped walls having central openings therethrough, said walls being operatively connected at the outer annular edges thereof to said cooling pipe at opposite sides of said opening means; and

the inner annular edges of said walls being spaced to form therebetween annular slit means for directing and focusing a single laminar jet of said cooling medium against said material.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for adjustably moving one of said walls toward and away from the other of said walls to thereby adjust the size of said slit means.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slit means is positioned for directing said jet of cooling medium against said material in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said path of movement of said material.

4. A cooling system comprising a plurality of the cooling apparatuses as claimed in claim 1, said plurality of cooling apparatuses being connected in series with a coextensive and coaxial path of movement of said material.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said slit means of each of said cooling apparatuses is positioned for directing said jet of cooling medium against said material in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said path of movement of said material and for causing said jet upon contacting said material to split into opposite branch jets flowing in opposite directions coaxial to said axis of said path of movement of said material; and further comprising means positioned between adjacent of said apparatuses for causing the opposite branch jets moving toward each other from said adjacent apparatuses to impact and to form a hitting flow moving radially outwardly from said axis in the form of a disk.

. 6. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein adjacent of said cooling apparatuses are grouped to form a cool- LII means positioned between the pair of cooling apparatuses of each said cooling pair for causing the oppositely moving jets from said pair of cooling apparatuses to impact and to form a hitting flow moving radially outwardly from said axis in the form of a disk. 

1. An apparatus for cooling longitudinally moving metal material, said apparatus comprising: a circular cooling pipe positioned to coaxially surround the path off movement of said material, said cooling pipe being supplied at the interior thereof with a cooling medium; said cooling pipe having around the inner annular surface thereof opening means to allow passage therefrom of said cooling medium; an annular nozzle provided n said inner annular surface of said cooling pipe, said annular nozzle being formed of disk-shaped walls having central openings therethrough, said walls being operatively connected at the outer annular edges thereof to said cooling pipe at opposite sides of said opening means; and the inner annular edges of said walls being spaced to form therebetween annular slit means for directing and focusing a single laminar jet of said cooling medium against said material.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, furtHer comprising means for adjustably moving one of said walls toward and away from the other of said walls to thereby adjust the size of said slit means.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slit means is positioned for directing said jet of cooling medium against said material in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said path of movement of said material.
 4. A cooling system comprising a plurality of the cooling apparatuses as claimed in claim 1, said plurality of cooling apparatuses being connected in series with a coextensive and coaxial path of movement of said material.
 5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said slit means of each of said cooling apparatuses is positioned for directing said jet of cooling medium against said material in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said path of movement of said material and for causing said jet upon contacting said material to split into opposite branch jets flowing in opposite directions coaxial to said axis of said path of movement of said material; and further comprising means positioned between adjacent of said apparatuses for causing the opposite branch jets moving toward each other from said adjacent apparatuses to impact and to form a hitting flow moving radially outwardly from said axis in the form of a disk.
 6. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein adjacent of said cooling apparatuses are grouped to form a cooling pair, said slit means of each of said cooling apparatuses of each cooling pair is positioned for directing said jet of cooling medium against said material at an angle to the axis of said path of movement of said material, the jets from said slit means of each cooling pair being directed toward each other.
 7. A system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising means positioned between the pair of cooling apparatuses of each said cooling pair for causing the oppositely moving jets from said pair of cooling apparatuses to impact and to form a hitting flow moving radially outwardly from said axis in the form of a disk. 